A Republican lawmaker was at the center of a controversy today with a photo of himself with his family rejoicing in front of a Christmas tree adorned with garlands… and guns in hand, just days after a deadly shooting at an American school.
"Merry Christmas! PS: Santa Claus, bring ammunition ", commented Thomas Massey, who represents Kentucky in the House of Representatives, posting on Twitter the photo where he appears with six of his relatives.
The United States on Tuesday mourned the victims of an armed violence at a high school in Michigan (north) during which a teenager killed four students, a tragedy repeated in a country where gun violence has been described as an "epidemic" by President Biden.
https://twitter.com/RepThomasMassie/status/1467197523127422979
The parents of the 15-year-old gunman, who is accused of negligent homicide, had given their son the Sig Sauer semi-automatic pistol in advance as a Christmas present.
At the same time, the family photo of Thomas Massey caused a stir, with elected officials and parents of gunmen accusing the Republican of anesthesia.
"Scandalous," wrote Democrat John Yarmouth, saying such messages were tantamount to "explicitly killing children."
Republican Adam Kinzinger, saying he was in favor of the right to bear arms, wrote on Twitter that "this is not support for the right to bear arms and bear arms" but "fetishism".
Activist Fred Gutenberg, whose daughter was killed in the Parkland High School shooting incident in 2018, one of the worst at a school in the US, posted his own "family photos".
"One is the last photo I took of Jamie, the other shows where she is buried."
Manuel Oliver, the father of another Parkland victim, told CNN that such a photo was "much of a problem" and "should teach us who to vote for and who not".
Conservative political commentator Canda Owens, meanwhile, wrote on Twitter to her nearly three million followers: of who are holding legal weapons? ».
The Michigan high school shooting incident is the deadliest of about 130 recorded in schools this year, according to the Everytown For Gun Safety organization.
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